Airline Biz Blog

Bloomberg: American Airlines looking at buy at least 100 Airbus jets

Bloomberg News reported Wednesday that American Airlines is talking to Airbus about buying “at least 100″ jets from the A320 family, to replace aging Boeing 757s and McDonnell Douglas MD-80s.

“A decision by the board of the third-largest U.S. carrier may come as soon as July, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions aren’t public,” Bloomberg reported.

Right now, the 160-seat Boeing 737-800 has been American’s replacement for the 140-seat MD-80s, with no replacement identified for the 188-seat Boeing 757-200s. The 757s averaged 16 years old as of Dec. 31.

Since 1996, American has designated Boeing as the sole provider of its airplanes. In exchange, it can get deliveries in as little as 15 months from the time of order, depending on the aircraft type. Its only Airbus jets, the A300s, exited American’s fleet in 2009.

The Airbus A320 family goes from the A318, the smallest, to the A321. US Airways configures its A321s with 181 seats.

The Boeing 737 closest to the A321 is the 737-900, which Alaska Airlines configures to 172 seats. Continental Airlines puts 173 seats on its -900s.

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Terry Maxon writes about items of interest to travelers and the aviation community.